Raising Hellraisers
by JustClem
Summary: A hot-headed athlete, her demure wife, and two children they consider their own. How did they come to be? What obstacles did they have to face? All that matters is that they're family. A bit of an odd family, but family nonetheless. (Domestic AU.)
1. Team RWBY

**Team RWBY**

**(**Alternative Title: Ohana**)**

_The great and amazing Ruby Rose stood at the edge of the cliff, her red cloak fluttering, and her brave face hidden for no one to see. The sun shone and cast a halo of gold around her, making her look even more awesome. _

(Wait, is it more awesome or awesomer?)

"_Great work as always," she said, turning to face her trusted confidants with a cocky smile. They'd bested five Ursas with naught a scratch. At least she had. Her partner Weiss Schnee had beaded a sweat, for she was not as charming and wonderful as Ruby was. No one was. "We've saved the world. Not that it's unusual, or anything."_

_She flicked her hair. Her perfect teeth glimmered as she smiled. _

"_Now, let's defeat more Grimm, and free this world from the treacherousness known as-"_

"Wait, what's Grimm?"

Ruby frowned and turned to look at Weiss. "Grimm's Grimm."

Weiss scowled, and tilted her chin up like how an adult would do so. "_Yeah_, but what _is_ it?"

Ruby looked down at her craftsmanship. She pointed to one of the papers sprawled out on the floor of their room with her color-sprinkled finger. "This! This is Grimm!"

Weiss looked down with a small amount of interest and a smaller amount of irritation in her eyes. "What even is that?"

Ruby's frown returned. She looked down and gauged her art better. Granted, she could've added more rainbows and fire and cute clouds to make her drawing more epic, but overall, it was pretty obvious what this was.

"It's Grimm."

Weiss groaned. The infruiration in her face made Ruby infuriated as well.

"And what, Ruby, might that be?"

Ugh! Why was Weiss being so difficult!? "What do you mean what's Grimm?! Grimm is Grimm!"

"Girls!" a voice from downstairs said, exparated. "Keep it down!"

They both winced and waited until the footsteps were inaudible before continuing on their bickering.

"Well I don't know what that grim thing is! Unlike you, I don't fuss over children's show, so I've no clue as to what that is!"

Gasp. How dare she. "Anime is not a children's show! It's a super mega grown-ups show, thank you very much."

Weiss looked like she wanted to argue, but for once, held back. She slapped a hand to her forehead and massaged it. It reminded Ruby of Mom, not for the first time.

"Ugh, let's just get this over with so I can finish reading your stupid story."

Ruby winced, feeling more hurt than she should. "Is it really stupid?"

Weiss blinked, looked at her, and softened. Her jaws loosened, and her eyebrows didn't crease together as intently. "It's only half-stupid, and that's only because you haven't finished it."

"Really?" Ruby brightened. Weiss was smart. Smarter than most kids their age. Dare she say, Weiss was nearly as smart as a grown-up! If she'd said that Ruby's story was good, then it must be true!

"Really-really."

With that, Ruby continued.

"_So, what do you say, partner?" Ruby chuckled and met Weiss' eyes. "Wanna rid this world from evil?"_

"_Of course, dear teammate. We shall-"_

"Wait, teammate?"

"Yeah!" Ruby's smile might've been too goofy for a serious, adult conversation, but she couldn't help herself.

"But I thought we were partners." Weiss looked visibly confused.

"We are." Ruby nodded. "And we're also in the same team."

Weiss' confusion doubled, and Ruby's smile widened.

"_Speaking of-" Ruby turned to look around, a nonchalant frown on her face "-where are the rest of our team? I could've sworn I-"_

"Oh, I get it." Weiss deadpanned. "You're gonna put Jaune on our team, aren't you? Or Penny."

Ruby fought back her annoyance. "Just keep listening. And don't interrupt me." Her pause was short. "Please."

After all, it was rude not to say please. Mom had told her so, even if Mama sometimes forgot to do it.

Weiss didn't say sorry, but her mild apologetic look would have to do.

"_Oh, why they're right behind us, of course," Weiss said, nodding. "Yes, yes. While we were out fighting Ursas, they've encountered Beowolves."_

"_Beowolves, you say?"_

"_Yes, it is troublesome, for there were infinite-bajillions of them." _(Infinite-bajillion is a real word, right?) "_But they are strong, for they are a part of our team. A part of Team RWBY."_

"Really?"

Weiss wasn't even trying to hide her amusement.

Ruby blushed. "Shut up."

_Ruby heard rustling from behind, and chuckled. "Speak of the devil."_

_Two women emerged out from the forest, a rainbow in the sky highlighting how great they were. They weren't as good as she was, of course, but they came close._

"_Devil? Is that what you really think of us, Rubes?" One of them put a hand on her heart. "I'm hurt."_

"_Are you both okay?" the other asked, far more serious._

"_Of course they're fine, kitty. Just look at 'em!"_

_Yang Belladonna and Blake Xiao-Long stood alongside her, proud and cool. Together, Team RWBY stared at the setting sun, content that they'd saved the whole world of Remnant once again._

"The end."

Weiss' smile was wider than she expected. Granted, it wasn't that wide, but it was, like, super wide in Weiss' standards.

"Did you really put _them_ in our team too?"

"I did." _Oh yeah. I am _such _a genius._

"Really? Them?"

"Really-really."

Weiss' lips twitched up. "Not bad, dolt."

"Super good, you mean?"

"Don't push it."

"Girls! Dinner is ready!"

The girls looked at each other and made the move to leave their room and go downstairs.

"Wait," Weiss said before Ruby could grab the door handle. "Your hands."

Ruby looked down on said hands. She held them out proudly for the world to see. "It's full of rainbows."

"It's full of crayons."

"Rainbows."

"Crayons, and we should clean it up before Mom sees."

Despite Ruby's protests, Weiss used a tissue to clean up the colorful mess, or as she liked to call it; 'Crayainbows', which was a totally wicked combination of the words 'crayon' and 'rainbow'.

"Girls! Hurry up, or else we'll throw all of these delicious cookies away!"

Ruby snapped her head up to Weiss. "They have cookies?"

Weiss bit her lip, looking as struck as Ruby was, though not as excited. "I heard."

Ruby nodded in grim acceptance. "They have cookies."

And with that, she bolted down, ignoring Mom's cries of "no running in the stairs, missy!" as her wolfy hunger grew. (_Is wolfy a word? Wolfy's a word, right?_)

She stomped her foot to gain the attention of both of her parents in the kitchen. "Where are my cookies?"

"_Your_ cookies?" Mama asked, pressing a fork on her forehead, feigning ignorance. "Whoever said these cookies were yours?"

"I was promised cookies. Give me my cookies. Now."

"Ruby…" Mom, sitting down with a book on her hand, fixed her a stern glance.

Ruby winced, and rephrased her words. "Give me my cookies right now or else, pretty please."

Mom blinked, put her book down, and sighed as she regarded Mama. "Yep. That's your daughter, alright."

Mama winked at Mom. "Don't forget she's yours too, Blakey. I'm not the only one responsible for raising such a hellraiser."

"Hey!"

They ignored Ruby's offended yelp, caught in their own world.

"Oh, but you're more of a hellraiser than she is," Mom said.

"I'm no hellraiser." Mama walked to her, put both hands at the edge of the table, and leaned so she was face-to-face with Mom. "I'm an angel."

"Right, I'll believe that." Mom leaned in.

"You should." Mama leaned in closer.

"Ew! Cooties alert!" The two lovebirds stopped on their tracks. Ruby turned to see Weiss behind her, looking positively stricken, and not in a good way. "Seriously, you guys. Ruby's, like, right here."

Ruby's sigh was one of relief. "Golly, Weiss. Thanks for saving me from witnessing something that'll scar me for life."

"No problem." Weiss gave her a court nod before she sauntered to the table. Ruby followed suit, though hers was less of a saunter and more like a trudge. A zombie-like trudge. "So, Ruby made a new story."

Mama brightened right as Mom said, "Ah, what's it about?"

"Monsters, heroes, death, the usual stuff." Both of Ruby's parents nodded, not at all surprised. "At least I think they're monsters. I don't know. Ruby calls them Grimm."

Mama tilted her head as she sat down. "Grimm?"

"Yes." Weiss waited until her plate was filled with spaghetti before saying, "It's actually quite clever. They have semblances there, which is basically magic, only it's not magic, and magic doesn't exist there. Everyone's semblance is different. And people who use semblance are called hunters and huntresses. They're like heroes, only they go to school to be them."

"Weeeiss…" Ruby shuffled in her seat. This was _so_ embarrassing.

Mama waved a hand and said, "Keep going, Snowflake. I wanna know all about it," before she shoved a large meatball into her mouth.

Mom, however, was far more sophisticated. And by that Ruby meant that she actually had table manners. She brought a napkin to her lips after a dainty bite and smiled calmly. "It's good, Ruby. Really."

Ruby shrunk even more, her blush redder than her name. "We were in it. And we were partners. You guys were in it too."

Mom blinked, the tenderness in her changing into something more along the lines of amusement. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Weiss gave a curt nod. "We're on the same team. Team RWBY."

Mama raised an eyebrow. "RWBY?"

"Don't ask," Weiss deadpanned.

Mama snorted, shoved an even bigger meatball into her mouth, and somehow swallowed it without choking. "Well, if you and Weiss get to be partners, don't we too?"

Ruby blinked, once, twice, before-

"Ew, no! She's my sister! And it's not that kind of a partner! It's, like, Sherlock and Watts kinda partner! Good-cop bad-cop partner!"

"Work partners?"

Ruby appreciated Mom's suggestion. "Work partners! Yes! Thank you!"

"... Can I and my dear wife here be partners?"

A pause. "Fine, Mama." Another, smaller pause, then a smile and a chuckle. "Only if I get to be the leader of my team."

"Deal."

* * *

**I think the lesson I learned from Q&M is to sometimes loosen up with my writing, and not take everything so seriously. Stories, especially in fan fictions, don't have to have a concrete plot, foreshadowings, and character development. Sometimes they can be timeless, endless. Sometimes I worry about how to make the story great, and not about how to make the story fun. So… there.**

**This is a new story that'll be updated every weekend. There are 8 chapters in total, and, like Q&M, I don't know if I'll continue making it or if I'll leave it on 8 chapters. Either way is fine for me :)**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tell me if you have any prompts or ideas for this AU I've made! Maybe it'll inspire me to write more chapters.**

**See ya~**


	2. The Jock and The Bookworm

**The Jock and The Bookworm**

**(**Alternative Title: High School Sweethearts Not**)**

The whistle blew, and Yang smirked, knowing she was about to destroy the opponent's team.

Her teammate threw her the ball, and she caught it effortlessly. She ran, and she dodged, and she taunted others to try and tackle her. She enjoyed the look on everyone's faces. They knew they would never defeat their opponents, not while she was one of those opponents, yet they still tried anyway. For what reason? Yang neither cared nor knew. Perhaps they did it out of humiliation and pride.

As Yang neared her destination, she made sure to look at the audience, spot a certain beautiful girl named Blake, and wink.

Yang didn't need to keep on looking to know Blake's response was to roll her eyes and subtly smirk.

Hell yeah.

Yang won, to no one's surprise. Some boys cheered through their helmets while others glowered in jealousy. All of the ladies, of course, were as supportive as ever - running down the steps to surround her, touch her, subtly ask her to make out with them, and all the other shenanigans.

Man, it felt good to be Beacon's most popular football player.

Everything was great.

Well, the coach did try to pull her aside and tell her not to be cocky or whatever, but what did he care? Yang laughed and waved him off and returned to soak in her fanclub's admiration of her.

"Yang, you were so great!"

"Amazing as usual, Xiao-Long!"

"You should come to my place, Yang!"

"No way! Come to mine!"

"I really need your help with this math homework, Yang!"

Ah, it was fun being popular.

Not even Blake glaring at her fangirls and shooing them away was enough to rain on her parade. Yang was sure _nothing_ could rain on her parade.

With an unamused stare, Blake dragged Yang to a more private place, which was the shower stall. All players were supposed to regroup and have a little cool down after the match, but those players weren't her. She wouldn't get in trouble for it, too. She was the star-athlete. They wouldn't dare piss her off.

Yang chuckled. "What's wrong, kitty?"

Blake blushed at the nickname, but shook her head. "Your dad's been calling me."

Yang took it back; something could (and did) rain on her parade.

Blake looked at her, expecting her to give some sort of response. But Yang had nothing to say. She stripped out of her soaked clothes, leaving her with only her bra, and caught the blush that rose to Blake's cheeks.

On other circumstances, Yang would've laughed and teased her for it. Instead, she said, "I just don't get him. I thought I'd made it clear I want nothing to do with him and his wife."

Summer Rose was her name. Easygoing, bubbly, kind eyes and kinder smile were her game.

"Yang, they're going to drive their baby home soon." Blake put her hand on Yang's shoulder. Yang wanted to shrug it off, but didn't have the energy to. Blake was her best friend, and Yang ought to listen to her. "You have a sibling now. You're a big sister."

Yang winced. "Yeah, and by the time that baby'll start using his brain, Big Sister Yang be off to college, away from this shitty life."

A small pause, then- "She."

Yang snapped her gaze towards Blake. "Huh?"

"The baby. It's a she."

Yang's throat bobbed. She wanted to retort Blake's words with something witty and sharp, but one look at Blake and all words seized and died. She was only looking out for Yang. No need to take it out on her.

"Yeah. Okay."

A sister. A brother. What difference would it make? Yang wanted to stop thinking about it, to stop thinking period and try to enjoy the chaos that was high school, but the hand on her shoulder tightening its grip forced Yang to look at Blake again.

"I know you hate her, Yang-"

"I don't hate her." That was overkill.

"But you should be there for your father, at least."

"Why? It's not like he was ever there for me." Anger flared, and despite not wanting to antagonise Blake, Yang glared at her. "He kept comparing me to her, the bastard who gave birth to me then left, and all I heard from him was how great she was and how much he missed her. And suddenly he's marrying another chick, and now they're having a kid together."

Her voice echoed through the hollow walls. Yang could hear the faint buzzing outside of everyone talking and laughing, which cued in that they were done.

Blake noticed too, which was why she stared ahead, looked back at Yang, gave her a smile that told Yang all was forgiven, and left.

Man, Yang was super lucky to have her.

Yang took long in the shower. Normally, she'd enjoy it, but she found herself thinking anxiously. Should she come and visit the hospital, just to see her brand new baby sister? Would it be worth enduring Tai's attempts to get her to love him back again and Summer's pitying looks.

They'd created a new family for themselves, and that was fine by her. What was not fine was the way they kept pretending she was still part of that family. She wasn't. She knew it. Blake knew it. They knew it. Everyone in Vale knew it.

Yang shrugged off her thoughts. Today was all about celebrating. She'd won another match against Shade Academy. Blake and she had planned to have a girl's day out together to do girly things like going to the mall, maybe watch a movie at the local theatre, all that fun stuff. She should be happy.

It took Yang 20 minutes to finish getting ready to spend the day. She walked out of the school and sighed when the autumn breeze greeted her, warm but strong.

Blake was there, twirling Bumblebee's key in her hand, looking at her with that expectant look in her eyes.

There was something about Blake. Something she'd begun to notice, recently, that she was surprised she hadn't noticed before. She'd known Blake for years, and Blake was her closest and realest friend, but recently, she'd been giving butterflies to Yang's stomach with only a look and a smile and a hug-

"Hi."

-like right now. The worst part was that Blake never realised it. "Good evening, M'lady." Yang placed a hand behind her, another on her chest, and bowed. "May I have the pleasure of taking my keys from you so I shall partake and embark on a journey with you towards the mall?"

Yang worried, for a moment, that she might've taken things too far, might've been a little too flirty for it to be casual, but when Blake chuckled sardonically and said, "Sure. Why not?", she knew she'd done herself right.

Yang straightened herself and was about to continue playing the prince/knight from the medieval times when her phone buzzed loudly. She rolled her eyes, turned it on, only to pale.

"Yang? Yang, what's wrong?"

"It's… an emergency call."

Yang looked up at Blake, and found her pale as well. Yang opened her mouth, closed it.

Yang put the phone on her ear.

Yang dropped her phone.

Yang ran.

Yang didn't stop running until she arrived at the hospital.

* * *

**I'm not sorry.**


	3. Family Reunions

**Family Reunion**

**(**Alternative Title: Don't Let Go**)**

A hit and run, they said.

An accident that nobody could've survived from. A tragedy. Something that should never happen to anyone, much less a couple with a newborn.

Blake was there the whole time. She'd say she stuck through it all because Yang was her best friend, but that would simply not be the truth. She listened, and she watched, and she observed as the tragedy unfold because she couldn't believe it.

She was there as the doctors and nurses and cops explained to Yang that they'd tried to get a contact on the only other known relative of this family, a Qrow Branwen, but couldn't reach him, so they had to reach out to her instead, despite her being young and barely reaching the legal age.

They were gentle, nurturing, and treating Yang like she was a baby and like she could destroy every furniture at any moment.

They did the best they could, they said.

They apologised, they said.

Sometimes people just died and Fate were unavoidable, they said.

Yang was motionless. A blank slate. A ragdoll. A puppet with its strings cut.

It worried Blake to no end.

Blake hoped her touches and occasional whispers of comforting words were enough for her. Though, the more cynical part of herself told her nothing would be enough for her, and nothing would fix this, and she would never be happy again, not after this.

The first word that came out of Yang's mouth was a small, "Is Dad…? Is he…?" and that was what snapped Blake, and made her realise that this was real, this was all happening, oh God, this was _real._

They looked at each other, and unspoken words were said. Yang grabbed Blake tightly. So tight it hurt. Blake knew that was when it clicked for Yang too.

Blake didn't know what to say, but Yang hid herself in Blake's chest, and hiccuped and sobbed, and Blake knew she didn't need to say anything. She just hugged back and hoped it would be enough.

They stayed, unmoving, frozen in time, as the world kept on moving.

Blake's phone went off a couple of times, but she refused to acknowledge it. It was most likely her parents, wondering why she'd not gotten home yet, and if she was okay.

God, her parents. Her _parents_. What would she _say_ to them?

A doctor cleared her throat. Yang whined and buried herself deeper into Blake. Blake tightened her embrace. It was up to her to deal with whatever was coming, it seemed.

She looked up. "Yes?"

The doctor told her Taiyang Xiao Long had awoken, and would like to see them. She explained that they better not waste time because they didn't know how long he'd stay conscious. That made Yang sob harder, and Blake glared at the doctor for being inconsiderate.

"I can't see him, Blake," Yang said. "I can't. I just can't. Please, don't let me see him."

Blake liked to think she understood. Hours before, Yang's father had been a source of resentment and an outlet of anger for her. He'd been an afterthought, something to brush off and away, a clown and a joke.

And now he was dying.

And Yang couldn't make sense of it all.

"That's alright," Blake whispered into her ears, soft. "I'll do it. I'll do it for you, Yang."

It was the least she could do.

Yang refused to let go of her, like a child clinging to their mother, their only source of warmth and comfort amidst all this chaos, but after gentle words and gentler touches, she had no choice but to let Blake leave her alone and hope she'd come back.

Blake approached the door, and her feet became heavy. She stood on the door for too many minutes. _Do this for her, _she thought to herself as a way of encouragement as she opened the door.

Blake kept her eyes pointedly away from the machines and tubes hooked into him, and how badly his body was damaged from the crash.

His face had no scars, only small scratches and bruises, and she found relief in that, and clung onto it.

His eyes were as gentle as they always were when he saw her. His smile was strained and weak, and it weakened Blake. Was this happening? Was she really doing this?

"Hey there, kiddo," he said. "I take it Yang's too afraid to come here."

Blake swallowed. "She wants to come, sir. She really does, but-"

His chuckle broke her words. "I know, I know, Blake. You don't have to defend her. I'd like to think I understand my daughter well enough."

There was something about it that was forlorn, and despairing. It told Blake that despite his neglect and emotional abandonment, Taiyang loved his daughter, more than anything.

He beckoned her to sit down, and she did. Blake didn't know what to do with her hands - whether to use it to hold his hands or keep them politely on her lap - so she linked them together and fidgeted.

"Yang loves you." The words blurted out of her mouth. Her eyes blurred, and she called herself a coward for being unable to look at him. "You have to know that. She loves you-"

"I know, Blake. I know she does, even if she pretends that she doesn't." Blake forced herself to look up and found him staring up into nothingness. "And even if she doesn't, that's still okay. She grew up to be a fine girl, Blake. That's all that matters." He rolled his head to the side to meet her eyes and smiled. "Plus, she has you, Blake. So I'm not worried."

Blake didn't know what to say. "I'll be there for her."

"I know," he said, and his smile widened. "I know you love her." In other circumstances, she'd have blushed and denied it vehemently. "I don't even need to make you promise me anything. You're a good girl, Blake. Yang's lucky to have you."

Blake expected something morbid to happen. Like the beeping of his heart monitor slowing down before stopping altogether, or suddenly increasing in speed into an alarming rate. But this wasn't a movie, and all that happened was that a nurse came by and told her visiting hours were over.

Yang reached out to her and held her and demanded answers from her as soon as Blake walked out of the room. "Is he- What did he say? Blake, is he okay? Is he going to make it? He's going to make it, right? Blake? Blake, please tell me he's going to make it. Blake, answer me. Answer me, Blake. Blake!"

Blake couldn't tell her. Not about her dad's potential last words, not about her dad never making it out alive, not about anything. How could she? She pulled Yang in for another hug. Yang struggled, at first, but she was tired and Blake was stubborn, so she sunk into it.

Mere hours ago Blake had been irritated and amused and exparated, and Yang had been her cocky self. Mere hours ago she'd been Yang's best friend, and they'd been planning to go to the mall to waste their evening away.

And now she was coming to the realisation that she loved Yang, and the closest thing Yang had to a parent was dying, and all was not okay.

* * *

**So, um, if you didn't know: I'm quitting fan fiction. Fully. I'll still post the remaining chapters of this story, along with S:BL, but afterwards... yeah, no.**

**I seriously hope you enjoyed reading this, especially that this is, well, one of my last stories. It's not special, or anything, but... yeah.**

**Sorry if this A/N has a sour note to it. I'm not "doing too well" right now.**


	4. Little Sister

**Little Sister**

**(**Alternative Title: Hi, Ruby Rose**)**

"I'm ready," Yang said, not because she was, but because this needed to be done.

Blake, glued to her side, seemed to know as well, clutching her tighter. Yang was grateful, even if she currently couldn't show her gratefulness.

Together, they went in to greet the newest addition to the Rose-Long family.

The baby was so small in the big room, and there was something wrong about how alone it was. No child should ever be alone. Children should always be held by someone, anyone.

Yang sucked in a breath, and wasted no time to walk to it. Walk to her.

She'd just been born two days ago, and now she was an orphan already.

"What kind of world does this?" Yang asked, not directing the question to Blake.

Blake answered anyway. "I don't know, Yang." Even if the answer weren't helpful, she valued it because it was honest.

The baby was on the small side. Not too much for it to be alarming, but enough for her to worry. She was bundled up in a red blanket, and she had little to no hair. The small puffs of hair she had were so thin Yang could barely see it.

Dad had told her she used to be a hairy baby.

Dad…

Yang choked on her tears, but held them back, ignoring the pointed worried look Blake was giving her. She had to be strong, even if she couldn't be.

Yang approached. Her hands, shaking, hovered over the baby's form. She was afraid of touching her. Afraid that one touch too hard would take its - her - life away.

"She needs you, Yang," Blake said, patient and rational and wise beyond her years. "You're all she has."

And Yang wanted to break down again.

How was it fair?

How was any of this fair?

"I don't think I can do it, Blake."

Despite her words, Yang closed in on herself, and reached out, only to hesitate at the last second. What should she touch first? The scalp of the head? The face? The body? Yang had never touched a baby this young before. Yang wasn't sure she'd ever touched an actual baby. The closest thing she'd ever experienced was fist-bumping and giving piggy-back rides to toddlers and kindergarteners on her days as a babysitter.

"Blake, please."

Yang could beg no longer.

But Yang didn't need to beg. She never had. Because Blake was there, Blake was always there, waiting, ready to give her whatever she needed.

And Blake held her arms, and guided them down, letting them touch the baby. Yang swallowed. The baby made a soft sound, her eyes opening to reveal a pair of silver eyes, bright, curious, and welcoming.

A tear fell.

This was supposed to be a happy time, Yang thought. A new life, brought into the earth. A miracle. A time of gratefulness.

And Yang did feel grateful.

She was grateful of Blake, for being here with her, when nobody else would, when there was nobody else who cared for her that much anymore.

She was grateful for her father, bastardly as he had been at times, for teaching her to be strong, to be resourceful, for turning her into who she was today, even if it was his neglect and overbearingness that did it.

And above all, she was grateful for Summer, whoever she may be, and whatever she may want.

Yang smiled, and kissed the top of the baby's head. The baby let out a little moan that sounded serene in response. Blake, still behind her, chuckled. "She has your laugh."

Maybe she did. Maybe she didn't.

Yang would still love her anyways.

Yang would love her the way she'd wanted a mother to love her.

Yang would become the mother she'd always wished to have.

It was the least she could do.

"Welcome to life, Ruby."

* * *

**This kinda took a while to finish, despite it being short. It's mostly because I didn't want to write it in the first place, but I knew I needed to get it out of the way. This is an integral part to the story, so... I couldn't just not write it.**


	5. Long Time no See

**Long Time No See**

**(**Alternative Title: One of The Drunks**)**

Yang didn't see him at first, her phone on her ear as she chuckled at Blake's irritation. She took a moment to put down the groceries on the lobby's desk and sat down.

"Oh c'mon, Blakey! I'm sure he didn't mean to pour his coffee on your book."

She could hear Blake's fuming as she massaged the spot between her neck and her shoulder. "It's not alright, Yang. And this isn't my book, it's Ruby's!" There was a distant sound of someone meekly saying something, followed by Blake telling that someone to shut up. "It was the original version of Little Red Riding Hood, Yang! Do you have any idea how hard it was to find it!? It's as rare as gold!"

"I said I was sorry!" a voice said, in a distance, and Yang struggled not to break down into laughter.

"Sorry isn't going to bring back the book back!"

Blake sounded utterly pissed off, and honestly, it was kind of hot. Yang knew she should play the empathetic, caring, responsible girlfriend and tell her to calm down, but what she said instead was, "Go get her, kitten."

"Don't encourage me, Yang. I'd promised Ruby to give her the book, Yang. It was going to be a surprise. She would've loved it." Silence answered Blake. "Yang…?"

Yang lowered her phone, standing up, her eyes narrowing in disgust and suspicion and years worth of anger. "What are you doing here?"

"Heya, Firecracker."

Qrow Branwen, the uncle who hadn't been there when she'd needed him, the person who'd ghosted her since she'd been a kid, stood in her apartment building.

* * *

Seeing Firecracker press around her jeans, looking for her keys, finding them, uttering curses about how old the lock was and how they ought to buy a new one, then tossing her tie to the couch and slumping into said couch made him feel old.

Technically, he _was_ already old, but still.

A couple of years back, he'd been trying not to fall asleep listening to her talk about how much she aced that football match at school.

Time flew. Or rather, time flew when tragedy hit you like a truck full of mini-trucks.

Qrow unhooked his flask from his belt. Before he could make a move to take a sip of the sweet, frisky Jack Daniel, he saw Firecracker's gaze. Or would it be more accurate to say glare? Either way, he froze.

"Not in my house," she said, her voice a growl.

He grinned and made a show of looking around, seemingly in awe. "Oh? This is a house? I hadn't realized, especially considering how shit-"

Firecracker dragging him up by his collar not only cut off the rest of his sentence, but installed a weird feeling of impressed.

"What. Do. You. Want."

He saw the redness of Raven Branwen in those purple eyes for a second there.

It wasn't a question. It was a demand. And he was going to pay the price if he were to ignore that demand.

"I just wanted to check up on my niece." Vaguely, he was aware that she'd pinned him to the wall. He could, technically, take her down - he may be old, but he still had some fight in him left - but he didn't want to upset her more than she already was, so he said, "Look, if you want, I can just skidaddle out of here-"

"Good. You should." The fingers tightened around his collar, her knuckles digging into the flesh of his neck.

Yup. Totally Raven's daughter.

"Yeah, I-"

She let him go, and didn't spare him more than a glance as he stumbled down and swayed unsteadily. He frowned at her, but realised her attention was somewhere else.

Footsteps. Growing louder. And one annoyingly high-pitched shrieks of a toddler, accompanied by a calmer, more 'mother-ish' sound of a woman.

Seconds later, some emo chick popped out in the front door, carrying a child with a pacifier in her hand. The child's face brightened when she saw Firecracker, exclaiming a loud "Yaaang!" for the whole town to hear.

Qrow expected Firecracker to do many things.

Bending down as that emo chick lowered the kid and let her loose only for her to run towards Firecracker like she was the most delicious cookie ever was not one of those things.

What. The fuck.

* * *

**Y'know what's weird? The fact that I've written Qrow more times than I've written Ruby and Yang's actual parents. Maybe it's because canon itself shows more of Qrow than of Summer, Raven, and even Tai. **

**Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever written about Raven, Summer, _or_ Tai...**

**Huh...**


	6. He Has to Come

**He Has to Come**

**(**Alternative Title: In Mourning**)**

**Mom:** I'm serious, Blake. She needs to come live with us. You can't put it on hold forever.

Blake winced at the text, and let her fingers hovered over the letters of her phone screen. She knew not what to say, but she had to say _something._

**Me:** You don't know her as well as I do. Yang's too proud to admit she needs help with her sister, let alone with her

Her what? Financial situation? The fact that she was still in high school and had nobody?

Blake couldn't say that, even if it were the truth.

She deleted the message, and started over.

**Me:** She has an uncle she's been trying to get in contact with. He can help. Yang and I won't be alone.

There. Sent.

Blake sighed and thumped her head against the wall, hunching. She looked to the edge of the guest room where Ruby lied, content in her sleep.

For a moment, Blake feared the quietness. With how small Ruby was, a sense of fragileness washed over her.

Ruby was only 6 days old. And Yang was only a teenager.

There was only so much anyone could handle.

Blake walked towards Ruby, paying attention to every little twitch. She gulped. Though this was Yang's sister, it was Blake's obligation as Yang's best friend and as a decent human being that she helped take care of Ruby. It was the least she could do.

Ruby woke up, and began to fuss. Blake's hands trembled at the thought of holding her, afraid that she'd break her. She pushed through those fears, and hushed at Ruby soothingly, cradling her.

Just as Ruby started to fall asleep, Blake heard the sound of a fist slamming against the wood counter. Thankfully, Ruby didn't cry, but her bewildered, wide eyes staring back at Blake was enough for a swell of fury to wash over her.

Blake cradled her again, and she fell back into slumber in seconds.

Thank goodness Ruby was such a calm baby.

Blake settled her back to the bed. They'd yet bought those mini-beds for babies, and they didn't think there was any need. The doctors had reassured them so. So long as Ruby was watched 24/7, and they report back to the hospital in case something weird were to happen to her, they should be all good. Hopefully. Maybe.

Yeah, no. Nothing would be 'all good', but Blake suspected the doctor's definition of the word was on a different realm than her own version.

She took one last glance at Ruby, confirmed that she was sleeping soundly, before she walked to find Yang, hair a mess, face red, pacing around the living room with her phone on the floor.

Blake wordlessly watched her, noted the light tears in her eyes, likely out of frustration rather than genuine sadness, and picked up her phone. She held it out towards Yang, and waited until Yang comprehended her existence.

When she did, Blake said, "You woke Ruby up."

Yang blinked, blinked again, eyes wide, red, and puffy from lack of sleep. She grabbed her phone wordlessly, seemingly unaware of her own action. Then, it registered. "Oh. Oh, shit, is she okay? Do I need to-"

Blake putting an arm on her shoulder calmed her down. Though, only slightly. Yang was never calm these days. Not that that wasn't reasonable.

"I put her back to bed. She's okay, Yang. She's fine." Yang didn't seem convinced, even with Blake running soothing circles on her collarbone. It was in the way she bit her lip, and kept stealing glances at the door of the guest room. Blake gained her attention by clearing her throat. "Let's sit down."

Yang didn't answer, so Blake guided her down to the couch, where she sat rigidly, foot bouncing up and down, hands linked together.

"He didn't answer."

"Maybe he's busy-"

"Busy enough to not call his own niece after her parents died?!" snapped Yang, glaring at Blake with a hint of red in her eyes, and not just out of frustration. Blake blinked, gulped, but wasn't surprised. This wasn't the first time it happened. And Blake didn't blame Yang or hold it against her. It was more than understandable, considering…

Yang's face paled, all of a sudden, and it crumbled soon after. "Oh, oh no, Blake, I'm- I didn't- I don't know-"

And so Blake hugged her, because Yang needed it, along with hundreds of more hugs. Yang needed so many things. Things Blake alone couldn't give. That didn't mean she wouldn't try.

"Yang, I know what you've said to me before, but I have to ask, just one last time, will you please move back with me and my parents? Just until you're out of college and can provide for your own?"

"... I won't go to college."

Blake froze, and her heart shattered yet again. Many universities had had their eyes on Yang for her wide varieties of talents in sports. Yang was a true phoenix in the field. Even Blake herself had rightfully assumed she went off to the most adventurous-looking university, one which focused less on the 'boring' academics and more on the 'wicked, awesome' sports competition.

So, to see her this downtrodden…

To hear her say what she'd said…

Blake couldn't imagine it; Yang not going to college, Yang not spending her years in wild parties and wilder one-night-stands, and Yang not living her life to the fullest. It wasn't what she stood for. It wasn't who she was.

Yang wasn't just giving up a simple opportunity for education.

"Yang…"

"Someone has to take care of her, Blake."

"But your uncle-"

"He will come," said Yang forcibly, making Blake wonder if she'd done it to convince Blake or herself. "Just- in the meantime…"

"Okay." Blake swallowed, and let Yang break their hug and sink back into the couch, hugging her knees, half-heartedly rocking herself back and forth. Nothing about this was okay. "Okay, Yang."

A pause. "When will you be going home?"

"I won't be."

Yang stopped rocking herself. She gave Blake an incredulous look. "_What?"_

"I'll stay here, with you." Blake faltered. "I mean, if you want me to…"

"Of course I want you to," said Yang, shaking her head. "I just- you miss them. You miss your home. I know you do."

She did. She missed the tropic of Menagerie. The lack of snow and red leaves. Where the temperature was always just right, never too warm nor too cold.

More than that, she missed Mom and Dad. Being an only child meant that she was closer to her parents than ever. And she'd told Yang this as well. She'd confessed about missing being spoiled, all the attention, all the bear hugs from Dad and the cheek kisses from Mom.

But that had been before, well… this.

Besides… "I kind of already asked them to come here and visit us instead."

Yang's face blanked. Then, relief washed over it. But the relief was fragile, and soon something akin to anger but softer and quieter replaced it.

"I told you already, I don't want to mooch off of your parents like a clingy hobo."

It wouldn't be mooching off, Blake wanted to argue. It would be doing the reasonable thing, admitting that she was in need of help, and accepting that she was still in mourning.

But knowing Yang, all Blake could say was, "I've wanted to show them around Vale. It's been months since they last saw it." Blake grabbed Yang's hand and squeezed. Yang didn't squeeze back. "Please Yang, they're worried about you. I am too. They love you, Yang." _I love you too._ "They won't try to make you do something you don't want to do."

Yang stared at their linked hands with disinterest and bewilderment. She blinked lazily up at Blake and slowly retracted her hands. "Uncle Qrow will come."

"I know, Yang."

"He won't abandon me like everyone else. He'll come."

"I know, Yang."

* * *

**So this took me less than an hour to make, and it was kind of a spontaneous decision. I wanted to show Yang at her lowest state and have her be sort of manic and reckless. Her withdrawing from Blake at the end proves of how unwell she is. **

**Just like in canon (or semi-canon, I guess?), Yang sort of gave up everything to raise Ruby when Tai was too depressed to do anything. **

**I hope this doesn't make Yang look like a jerk. She did just lose her family, like, a week or so ago at the time. Her being standoffish and maybe downright cruel at times is perfectly reasonable. Not acceptable, but reasonable.**


	7. Yay! Family Reunions

**Yay! Family Reunions!**

**(**Alternative Title: Hello, Uncle**)**

Not for the first time since meeting Yang, Blake was grateful to have a family such as her own.

Sure, her family consisted of only her mom and dad who lived in another country entirely, but it felt like they were willing to cross that country to save her if she were in any trouble.

Ruby, after giving Yang many 'magical kisses', finally noticed the strange man with the strange smell, and blinked at Yang as Yang scooped her up.

Ruby pointed a finger at Qrow Branwen, her curious and confused face open for the world to see, and Blake was reminded again that despite the differences in hair and eye color, Ruby still was Yang's sister, and was similar to her in ways she couldn't imagine.

The message was clear for all to see: _Who's that?_

Blake winced, and prepared herself to support Yang in any way she could.

But Yang only tightened her hold around Ruby, and gave her a sweet smile. "No one, Ruby."

The man who was supposedly Yang's uncle deflated. He wanted to say something, Blake could tell, but one look from Yang was enough to shut his mouth and have him trudging out of their apartment.

Their home was tense, and silent. Even Ruby picked up on the heavy atmosphere, choosing to suck on her pacifier instead of babbling nonsensical baby words that sometimes made sense.

Yang looked down. Her grip on Ruby loosened, just the slightest bit. That was when Blake clapped her hands together and said, "Ruby, sweetie, why don't we tuck you in?"

Ruby's look was one of defiance. "No!"

Blake had to smile at the pure venom in her voice, and even Yang snorted and softened.

"C'mon, Ruby," she said, extending her hands, not breaking eye-contact with her. "I'll give you a cookie if you promise to be a good girl~"

Ruby's resolve was finally starting to crack.

"Oh, wow, one whole cookie!?" Yang grasped dramatically. Her expression was stiff, forced, and strained, but to a child, it looked as genuine as ever. "That's so many!"

"Maybe even two~" Blake winked, grinning a chesire grin. Ruby's eyes widened, before her brows furrowed down. Her confusion was evident, and Blake chuckled again. "Yes, Ruby. Two is more than one," she said, holding up two fingers, and bringing down one.

That was the last encouragement Ruby needed.

Quickly, Ruby made a beeline for her room, stripping out of her tutu, much to Yang's chagrin and Blake's offense. She wanted to scold Ruby, but was it really necessary? She wasn't old enough to understand modesty. Hell, she wasn't even old enough to understand numbers beyond ten.

Blake gave Yang a look, and brushed her hand against Yang's forearm, sliding down. "Will you be alright?"

The redness in her eyes gave Blake enough of an answer. "Don't give her more than two."

It was spoken weakly. Defeatedly.

Blake hoped a peck on the cheek and lips would quell Yang's internal struggles. "Can't make that promise."

Yang's smile was brief and small, but she did smile, so Blake counted it as a win.

Blake let her hold linger. The message, she thought, was clear: _I'll come back for you._

Yang held the hand holding her and squeezed back: _I know._

3 minutes later, and Ruby grinned in satisfaction, having eaten her 4th cookie while Blake mulled over how she was going to hide how there were 4 less cookies in their cookie jar with a defeated blush. It didn't matter how pathetic this was, Blake would _not_ let Yang win.

Ruby tugging Blake's sleeve pulled her attention. "What is it, sweetie?"

Ruby frowned in confusion and a tad bit of anticipation. Her gaze lingered on the door. _Where's Yang?_

"Yang's had a long day." Blake kissed her forehead, and eased her into the blankets. Ruby loved her blanket. It was bright and red. And she loved stealing it and twirling it around her neck and pretending it was her cape. "Would you like me to read a story?"

Ruby nodded vigorously, and Blake chuckled. Ruby kept insisting that Big Bad Wolf should be bigger, had more teeth, but also friendlier, and Blake had to remake the whole story again. Apparently, Little Red and Wolfie were besties, and they went out to the woods hunting for other wolves and cooked _them _into food for Grandma.

Yeah. Okay. Let's roll with that.

For a kid who didn't talk much, Ruby was quite impressionable. It reminded Blake of Yang when she first met her; hands flailing around, always smiling widely and toothily, communicating more with gestures than words (though, Yang's gestures included winks and eyebrow wiggles, whereas Ruby's were pouts and nods. One was, obviously, adorable and made Blake's heart swell with love, and the other was trying too hard.)

Blake lingered in the doorway and watched Ruby. She'd be starting kindergarten soon. How fast time flew by. "Goodnight, Ruby."

Blake found Yang with a bottle of dollar-store wine they brought weeks ago out of kicks, hunched over in her couch, tense.

The way Yang was acting now reminded Blake of how she'd acted years ago, back when they were both confused teenagers trying to figure out how to raise a baby and deal with loss and school and jobs. Kids trying to raise a kid.

Qrow Branwen had always been an enigma. Yang had spoken highly of him, then cursed him, then stopped talking about him altogether.

He'd been a wild, rambunctious free spirit, always traveling everywhere. Then, he'd become a selfish flaker who didn't care about his own family. Now, he was a blank slate.

Blake sat down, and grabbed Yang's hand, clasping it with two hands. She felt as helpless as she'd been in those first few months, back when she'd thought her feelings for Yang were nothing more than a crush and would ruin their friendship if she were to do anything about it.

Yang was the first to speak, cutting off Blake's search for the right words. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Shouldn't have what?"

"Kicked him out."

Blake internally scrambled. "It's justifiable."

Yang shook her head and closed her eyes. "Doesn't mean it's right." Blake thought of Qrow Branwen, and how lost he'd looked. "I need to… talk to him, about a lot of things."

"Why?"

Yang looked at Blake, and Blake swallowed, more nervous than before. "I mean, you said that he- that you- I-" She paused, and let loose a sigh. "I don't know how to say this without sounding mean." She said, totally definitely _not_ pouting reluctantly.

Yang seemed to get it, grinning that lopsided grin of hers. "Did I ever tell you how cute you and that pout of yours are?"

Blake Belladonna was _not_ cute and she did _not _pout. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Yang, we are an adult and adults should not be doing these things."

"... Yes."

Blake facepalmed. "Forget I said anything."

Yang offered Blake the wine, and Blake relented after her 3rd offer. She took a sip, while Yang gulped down the entire glass. Blake raised an eyebrow. "Very ladylike of you."

Yang didn't respond. Not that Blake expected her to. She stared at the empty glass as though it held more than just air, and never put it down on the table.

"I'd like to invite him over for dinner," Yang said, soft, quiet, and unlike herself. "I know what he did to me, and I'm not saying I forgive him, but… Ruby, I think- I think she needs this, to know her uncle, even if he isn't really her uncle." Finally, she put the glass down, and looked at Blake. "I think I need this too. To let go, I mean."

And so Blake hugged her, and let Yang forget her pain by kissing her, and all she could think of was how much things had changed.

* * *

**I want this to be a parallel of the previous chapter. Instead of Yang clinging to this idea and being pissed at everyone, she's telling herself "maybe the past should just stay in the past" and is letting go. **

**Hopefully, the next chapter will be dealing with Teenager Weiss and Mama Yang. That'll be fun.**


	8. Misfits

**Misfits**

**(**Alternative Title: Mama Dragon**)**

Yang considered herself to be a decent mother.

She'd already been raising a baby before she hit 20, and had been raising 2 kids in her early to mid 20s. (While everyone else had been roaring in her 20s, she'd been dealing with roaring kids.) Sure, neither of those kids were actually hers, but they were her daughters, and she loved them. "Probably a little too much," as Blake had once said when she gave her two girls chocolate cake and ice cream for breakfast that one time.

She'd been decent so far. She'd taught her girls how to behave, how to be a good person, and why pouring milk before cereal was a sin.

So, to hear that not just 1, but both of her kids were sent to the principal's office due to a supposed assault?!

Yeah, no. Yang wasn't going to _even-_

… Okay. Okay. Calm. She was calm. As calm as a bird, or a tortoise, or whatever animal or thing was calm.

The light turned green, and Yang hit the gas. She debated on telling Blake about this recent development ("Hey, Blake! Apparently our daughters are hellraisers, just like me!") but fended off the thought. Blake was visiting her parents in Menagerie in a 7-day trip. She'd been missing her old home these past few weeks, no matter how much she'd tried to hide it, and Yang had thought it cruel to try and keep her here in Vale for any longer. Yang and the kids missed her, sure, but it wasn't like she was going to leave them forever.

It was okay. Completely okay. She could do this alone. She didn't need Blake - well, actually she always needed Blake, but that wasn't the point.

Yang felt like a teenager again as she strolled up into Beacon High School, partly expecting her old friends to jump in and give her a high-five, and partly expecting those same friends to give her pitiful looks and, later, when they thought she couldn't hear, whispers about what had happened.

Yang barged into the principal's office with a scowl, finding Ruby sniffling and hiding herself into Weiss' shoulder as Weiss maintained an aloof, if not feral position that said "back off or you'll get hurt" to everyone within a 5 mile radius.

And that was the first time she went to the principal's office as a parent, and boy was it not a good feeling.

Weiss' eyes met hers, and Yang was too pissed to figure out the thousands of emotions that flickered in her eyes. Ruby didn't seem to notice who'd arrived. She simply curled into Weiss more.

She needed to emphasize it more: This was not a good feeling.

"Ah, Missus Xiao-Long, what a-"

"Don't _even_, Ozpin."

And it was Belladonna now.

And calling her old principal by his first name? Also not a good feeling. But it was a different kind of "not good" feeling. One that were mild compared to the more prominent issue.

Ruby poked her head up, hearing Yang's voice, and Yang's face crumbled, seeing how red her eyes were. Ruby ducked her head down and hid in Weiss yet again. Weiss' stare faked calmness. It was an expression Yang saw in Blake too many times. Like mother like daughter.

"Please, I encourage you to sit down."

So, Yang did. She sat down, and made sure to press her hand on Ruby's thigh and rub comforting circles on it. Ruby was the type of kid who needed reassurance through physical gestures. Weiss, on the other hand, needed reassurance through actions and words.

Yang made sure to reassure her as well, and in the only way she knew how. She glared at Ozpin and asked, "Why, may I ask, are both of my children sitting here?"

"Missus Xiao-Long, your daughter Miss Schnee physically assaulted her fellow student during recess. She then proceeded to threaten more students during that same time. When one of the students tried to defend themselves, Miss Rose jumped in and pushed that very student."

Yang stared to see if Ozpin was lying. But that couldn't be true. Ozpin would never lie. She opened her mouth-

"They started it!" Ruby yelled, jolting away from Weiss to look back and forth between Yang and Ozpin before finally settling in on Yang, begging with her eyes.

Weiss looked affronted. "Ruby!"

"Please, Ma! You have to believe me!"

Yang didn't know what to say, so she looked at Ozpin, glaring harder. "Is this true?"

Ozpin wasn't looking at her. "Now, Miss Rose, surely whatever they said didn't warrant your sister's… misbehaviour. Nor yours."

"Actually," said Weiss, "their words weren't what warranted my behaviour. Their actions were."

What?!

"What do you mean by that?" Ozpin asked, disbelieving.

"He was making advances at me, even after I've told him many times that I'm not interested in buffoons." Weiss shrugged. "Only this time, he roped in Ruby as well, which I can't stand. I told him to back off, but it angered him more, and he grabbed me." Weiss was looking at Yang. "Even after I told him not to touch me, he didn't budge. I had to take immediate actions."

A beat.

Two beats.

Heavy beats, full of unspoken rage and offense.

The rage of a mother.

Yang turned to Ozpin. "Is this true?!"

Ozpin looked baffled, and pale. "Now, Miss Schnee, Mister Winchester has never said anything about-"

"WINCHESTER?!"

Yang stood up so abruptly her chair fell. Ozpin paled even more. "Miss Xiao-Long, I beg of you-"

"It's Belladonna!" Yang roared. She set her jaw tight. "I've heard enough. Weiss, get your sister and yourself out of this room." When Weiss didn't budge, Yang looked at her, and tried to soften her gaze as well as her words. "Now, sweetie."

Weiss looked shocked, for a good reason. Despite being hot-tempered, Yang made sure never to get angry in front of Ruby and Weiss. She knew how she could get when she was mad, and she didn't want them to see her that way and be afraid of her.

Weiss whisked Ruby away, who'd yet to crawl away from her hiding place in Weiss' shoulder. Weiss didn't seem to mind as she hurried to close the door.

Now, it was just the two of them.

Yang felt young again. Like she was a student and Ozpin was her principal.

"You've caused a disturbance-"

"Oh, _I've_ caused a disturbance!?" Yang slammed her hands on the desk. Hard. Ozpin tried not to flinch. "The kid's name is Winchester, Oz! Winchester!" Yang met his gaze levelly. "We both know that kid's up to no good. And we both know the only reason why he's not expelled yet is because his family has donated shitload of money. Isn't that right?"

Ozpin didn't say anything, and that was enough of an answer.

Yang gave him a sneering smile. "I bet that if I were to ask any of the students' parents about Winchester, or the students themselves, they'd gladly tell me all about his behavioral problems. Enough to build a good case to do more than expel him."

Ozpin bowed his head.

"I'll let it go, just this once. But I swear to fuck, Oz, if that kid goes anywhere near my daughters again, I will not hold back. And we both know how I get when I don't hold back."

Yang didn't wait for his permission to leave. Yang didn't wait for him to say anything. There was no more words to be said. So Yang left.

…

The drive home was tense. Not that it surprised Ruby.

She tried not to jitter or tremble much, but it was hard. The day's event was still fresh on her mind. One moment, Cardin had been leering at Weiss, and telling her to just get it over with and go out with him already, and the next, he'd looked at Ruby and said dirty words about her and her wallflower act.

Ruby had known that Cardin had been bothering Weiss for a while. But to see it first hand how mean he was, it'd been nerve wracking. Ruby wasn't good at confrontations, so she'd stuttered with her words like the loser she was, and he and his gang had laughed.

The worst part that Weiss had failed to mention was his reaching out to Ruby, and Weiss using herself as a body shield to keep Ruby away from him. She'd felt protected, and ashamed for needing to be protected.

Then Cardin had started to turn angrier, and Weiss had as well, and one thing led to the next, and suddenly Weiss had been yelling at Cardin and his crew to never touch either of them again.

It had been terrifying to see Weiss like that. But at the same time, it'd been also kind of… cool?

_It's not like everyone can say their big sister defended them from bullies by literally beating them._

"So," Mama said, her voice bringing Ruby back to reality and reminding her that they were in trouble. "Was it a good deck?"

Ruby and Weiss shared a look. "Pardon?" Weiss asked, voice meek and small either due to exhaustion or fear.

Mama's eyes stared at the road ahead, but a small smile played at her lips. Though, that might not be the case, considering Ruby was sitting on the backseat, unlike Weiss. "Wait, was it a deck or a kick? Oz never told me."

Ruby blinked. Was Mama being serious…?

"Um, both," Weiss said, unsure. "I decked him, then kicked him."

"Right in the dick?"

Ruby blushed. Weiss snorted.

"I wish! I aimed for it, but ended up kicking him in the leg. He fell, though, so that was a plus."

"Nice." Mama nodded to herself, then cocked her head to look at Ruby. "What about you, Rubes? Did you get a good hit?"

"Um-"

"Oh, she got the best hit!" Weiss beamed, and Ruby blushed, this time out of self-consciousness. She bit her lip to keep her smile from growing, glad that Weiss seemed to be enjoying herself. "She punched Cardin in the nose! I'd be surprised if his nose isn't broken!"

"Wait, his name's Cardin?!"

"Yeah?"

"Holy shit, that bastard!" Mama laughed in disbelief. "Can't believe he literally named his kid after his own name!"

Weiss looked back to meet Ruby's eyes. They both shared the same question. Weiss was the one to ask, "You know Cardin's dad?"

"Know him?! Snowflake, we have _history_. And not like the kind your mom and I have." Mama's phone buzzed, and she muttered a small cuss. "Hey, Rubes, could you answer that, please?"

Ruby grabbed the phone from the cupholder, stared at the screen and found out it was Mom calling. She answered the call, but before she got the chance to say anything…

"_Yang, what the flip?! Velvs told me Weiss decked someone and Ruby broke someone's nose?! And you all got called into the principal's office?! Why didn't you tell me?! This is why I keep telling you not to teach our daughters how to fight! I mean, it's a good idea and all, but we both know how Weiss gets when she's angry! You should've taught other kids how to defend themselves against our daughter instead!"_

Ruby and Mama were trying their best to hold in their laughter, but at that last part, they couldn't help but break into laughter. Weiss, meanwhile, looked positively scandalised.

"Um, _excuse me?"_

"To be fair," Ruby said, in-between giggles. "If anyone needs disciplining, it's me. I broke his nose."

"_... Ruby, would you please be a dear and hand over Mama's phone back to her?"_

"I can't. She's driving."

"_I'm pretty sure the road's empty, so it should be safe. Give it back to her. I need to have a few words with her."_

Mama looked afraid, for good reasons. No one could survive the wrath of Mom. Ruby chuckled. "No can do. There's, um, traffic. Like, real hard, big, scary traffic."

There was a sigh from the other end of the line. "Fine. Now, would you please explain to me why you apparently broke someone's nose, Ruby?"

"It wasn't just anyone's nose, Blakey," said Yang as she neared their house. "Get this; it was Winchester's nose. Cardin Winchester. The Cardin Winchester."

"_... Our daughter broke a grown man's nose?"_

"He named his kid with his own name! How shitty could he be!?"

"_... Ruby, Weiss, I applaud you for what you did. Your mother and I are very proud of you." _

Turns out, Mama and Mom had had a beef with Cardin's dad, whose name was also Cardin, and a similar event had happened years ago, in which Mama had started a fight with Old Man Cardin after he'd tried to hit on Blake.

"_Your mother was very territorial,"_ Mom said. "_Even before we started dating, she chased away every guy that came close to me."_ A small pause. "_Now that I think about it, it should've been obvious how much you liked me, even then."_

"Yeah, I didn't even realise it too." Mama chuckled. A small blush rose in her cheeks, yet she looked content. "Looking back at it now, it was pretty obvious. I'm surprised no one ever suspected a thing."

"_Yang, I'm pretty sure everyone knew except for us. We were _that _oblivious."_

"Wait, so Old Man Cardin was also a meanie?" Ruby asked.

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," said Weiss with a huff.

Mama snorted. "You could say that again."

* * *

**I've never liked Ozpin and his "I know everything and I am wise and you should listen to me" shtick, so this was a nice outlet for me to diss on him through Yang.**

**At first, I wanted one of the villains to be the one who tried to mess with our kiddos. Maybe Mercury, or Cinder. But I thought Cardin would be the best fit since he isn't a villain, but he is a douche, and that's what makes it worse. He doesn't have any ulterior motive, he just feels entitled.**

**I think, for now, this many chapters is enough. I'd better post it soon, after I edit it. Coincidentally, I just finished posting all of Q&M, and have an empty slot.**

**Don't know if I'll write more, or if I'll end things here. Either way's good. You guys seemed to enjoy it. Tell me what you want to see—in case I do plan on writing more. Would you like to see Yang and Blake as teenagers, juggling school/work and raising a kid? What about Ruby and Weiss themselves?**


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